Something to Believe In
by IfICannotMoveHeaven
Summary: Credence is never found by MACUSA in the subway station. Instead, a young witch finds him and brings him to safety. She vows to protect him and find a way to rid him of the Obscurus inside of him. But after years of abuse and betrayal, can Credence learn to trust again? Or will other forces stop them before they even have a chance to believe in a better future?
1. Chapter 1

It was late enough into the New York December evening that the only light coming from outside was from the street lamps scattered along the sidewalks. But inside the third floor apartment where three siblings went about their quiet evening, the electric lights flooded the space with warmth.

Eighteen year old Winnie Shae was helping her older brother with the preparation of dinner. Well, she was supposed to be helping. Instead, she was sitting on the floor with a four year old boy, watching him giggle with glee as she produced a spray of glittering sparks from the end of her wand.

"Winnie," an older boy called from where he stood in front of the stove, the irritation in his voice clear as day. "You know what day it is. Wand away and come help me." She groaned and rolled her eyes, tucking her wand into her pocket.

"I think it's time to disband 'No Magic Days', Theo," she complained. It was a tradition that her parents had started before any of them were born; twice a month, they would go a full day without using any kind of magic, with the exception of work and emergencies. This included, most relevantly to Winnie in the moment, cooking, which became a chore when no magic was allowed.

"And then what happens when we're in a situation where we can't use magic?" Theo countered, still stirring the pot that was sitting on the stovetop. "We'll be completely lost and have no idea how to function. No Magic Days help us learn how to blend in with No-Maj's, incase we ever need to."

"You're quoting dad again," Winnie mumbled, resigning herself to the fact that she wasn't going to change her older brother's mind.

"That's because he's right," Theo said, unbothered by her comment. It would never upset him to be compared to either of his parents, and the same went for both of his siblings, though Winnie would never admit it.

Their mother and father had been living in England for the past two years as American ambassadors for the British Ministry of Magic. It was an amazing opportunity for two people who had been working for MACUSA practically their whole lives. But because they wanted Winnie to be able to finish her last year at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and wanted their youngest son, Laurence, to go when he came of age, they allowed them to remain in the place they grew up while they moved to take their jobs. So, the three siblings stayed in America-Boston, to be precise-until Winnie graduated from Ilvermorny and Theo got an entry level position at MACUSA, moving the little family to New York City.

"You know I'm no good at cooking," Winnie tried to argue again, willing to do anything to get out of it. She picked up her midnight colored cat, London, who was rubbing against her ankles. "I'll burn everything and then we'll have nothing to eat and Laurie will go to bed hungry and that will make you the worst big brother ever." Theo looked at his sister incredulously, before shaking his head in exhaustion.

"Win, you have to start helping out more around the house," he said, almost pleading. "If you refuse to get an internship at MACUSA, which has been offered to you multiple times, that's one thing, but-"

"I'm not just refusing because I'm lazy," Winnie interrupted, insulted. "You know I want to wait until next year when I'm old enough to get the healer apprenticeship." It had always been her dream to be some kind of doctor for the wizarding community, but her closest opportunity was this apprenticeship with a healer in the area, which she wasn't old enough to take yet.

"Fine," he allowed. "Don't help me cook. But at least clean up around here; there's

clutter everywhere." Winnie smiled and instinctively reached to her pocket. "Without magic, Win," he reminded, which earned a groan of annoyance. Still, she knew her brother couldn't take care of both his younger siblings on his own; she was supposed to be helping.

She put the cat down and started picking up some of Laurie's toys, which he had left scattered around the floor in front of the couch earlier in the day. But before she could make much of a difference in the room, there was a thunderous commotion from outside. Her first reaction was to scoop Laurie, who was still sitting on the ground entertaining himself, into her arms. She then rushed over to the window, just in time to see an enormous black haze rushing along a few streets away.

"Theo…" she called worriedly, unable to take her eyes off of the mass. "What is that?" She waited for an answer, but before one came there was a beeping coming from the bracelet around Theo's wrist. As a trainee auror, it was something he wore at all times that would tell him if he was needed somewhere by one of the other aurors. It was rare for it to beep outside of the daylight hours he worked; it only ever happened in emergencies.

"I need to go," he said quickly, already moving to put on his coat and hat. Winnie's mind began to race with possibilities of what could be going on. One thought in particular caught her attention.

"Is it the obscurial?" she asked, a mixture of fear and excitement in her voice. With her older brother training to be an auror, she often found herself with information few other people had. Which meant she was well aware of the obscurial that had been wreaking havoc in the city the past few weeks. In her head, she had become obsessed with the thought of it, studying everything she could find about obscurials throughout history. Along with her healing research, she wondered if, given the opportunity, she would be able to cure it.

"Watch Laurie," Theo instructed, ignoring her question as he rushed towards the door. "Lock the doors and don't leave for anything." And with that, he was gone out the door.

Winnie waited a few seconds, until she was sure he had disapparated to wherever he needed to be, before carrying Laurie to his bed in the room he shared with Theo.

"Okay, Laurie, it's time for bed," she told him.

"No it's not," he argued, looking up at her in confusion. "It's too early."

"Sorry," she said, leaning down to kiss his forehead before waving her wand carefully over his head. Within seconds, the little boy's eyelids drooped and his head fell onto his pillow, completely asleep.

Winnie ran back out to throw on her coat and lock the door. "Watch him for me," she said to London, who was sitting on the sofa, unaware of the excitement. And with that, she disapparated out of the apartment.

Deep within the subway station, a boy, who was almost too old to be called that, sat against the wall, shaking and sobbing in fear. He didn't know how long he had been sitting there, but it couldn't have been long. He was watching in terror as two men, Perceval Graves and a man in a blue jacket who claimed to have met someone like him before, were dueling. Their wands were extended out from their bodies, sparks flying from the ends of them. If the situation had been different, he thought he might have enjoyed the wondrous sight.

With each swish of the men's wands, the winner of the duel became less clear, both men falling back and advancing about equally. And in honesty, Credence didn't know who he wanted to win; Graves had been his hero for weeks, but had recently betrayed him in a way he couldn't ever forgive. Meanwhile he had never met the other man before, but he had already gained a bit of his trust.

With each passing second, he could feel the force-this obscurus Graves had told him about-growing in him. He didn't know how much longer he could keep it from overtaking him again, causing another wave of destruction. He considered running away, seeing that the two other men were too distracted to notice. But just before he was about to slip away, he heard someone make a noise from a few feet away. He turned his head quickly to see a girl around his age crouching in the darkness, her figure lost in the shadows away from where the others would be able to see. She had large, piercing blue eyes and curly reddish brown hair cut short, just shy of being a boyish length.

As their eyes met, she smiled kindly, a warmth emanating from her in a way that reminded him of his little sister, Modesty. The thought of her, and seeing her in the reflection of this girl, managed to calm him down just slightly and provided enough distraction to keep him from losing control.

"Hello, there," she said, just loudly enough for him to hear. "Don't be frightened, I'm not going to hurt you. My name's Winnie, and I'm here to help you." That word-'help'-was enough to make him flinch back. How many times had he heard it from the mouths of people who only ended up hurting him in the end?

Noticing him recoil, the girl tried again. "Please, you don't have to be afraid, really. I know what you are. I know you have magic, and what's happening to you. I can help you." This caught his attention; she knew that he was this monster, and yet she still wanted to help him? That couldn't be right.

"I'm a healer," she continued. "If you come with me, I can help you." Even at the idea of there being a cure for whatever storm was raging inside of him was enough to push him upwards onto his feet. He looked over and saw the two other men still fighting, their attention away from him. Credence stumbled over the train tracks to get to the girl. She reached out her hand to him, but he hesitated to touch her.

"Come on, we don't have much time. We have to hurry," she pleaded, stretching her hand out further.

Slowly and reluctantly, he took her hand. The second they touched, they disapparated out of the station.


	2. Chapter 2

Within a moment of disappearing from the subway station, the two apparated in the living room of Winnie's apartment. The stark silence was a major contrast from the scene they had just left.

The fear still coursing through Credence was violent enough that his whole body shook with it. Winnie knew that he was still unstable, and that he could lose control to his obscurus at any moment.

"Here, sit down," she said, keeping her voice soft so not to startle him. She motioned to the couch, wanting to calm him down as quickly as possible. She was well aware of the danger she was in by being so close to him, but at the same time she was drawn to the strange boy. Everything she had read about obscurials said that they only lived to be children, and yet this boy looked no younger than she was. She made a note to research it further when she got a chance, but at the moment she had other things to focus on.

She pulled her wand from her pocket, swishing it in the direction of the kitchen. Instantly the appliances started moving to prepare a cup of tea. To Winnie, this was a mundane act of magic, something she had seen every day for as long as she could remember. But for Credence, it was something extraordinary. All the magic he had seen before was so intense and dangerous, but what she was doing was as simple as household chores. It astounded him, perhaps almost as much as the first time Graves had performed magic in front of him.

The cup of tea came down in front of Winnie, steam rising from the mug. She picked it out of the air and handed it to Credence.

"Drink," she said lightly. "It was freezing out there; you need to warm up." He hesitated for a moment before bringing the mug to his lips and taking a sip. The warmth spread throughout his body, which he hadn't realized was cold until then.

She gave him a moment to drink before speaking again. "Like I said before, I'm Winnie. Winnie Shae. I live here, obviously. What's your name?"

"C-Credence," he answered, looking down at the mug in his hands to avoid making eye contact with her, his voice shaking as much as his body was. He didn't want to feel afraid, but everything up until that moment had been so terrifying, he couldn't get himself to calm down. "C-Can you take it out now? Please?"

Winnie looked at him in confusion. "Take what out?" she asked, not understanding what he was asking.

He had to take a moment to breathe in order to work up the courage to speak again. "This...thing, inside of me. The thing that's making me do terrible things," he answered. "You said back at the station...you said you could help me get rid of it. Please, I don't want to lose control again."

Winnie was quiet for a moment, not sure how to answer his request. She had no idea how to get the obscurus out of him. She didn't know if it was a spell or potion or what that would do it. She had only wanted to get him out of the subway to make sure she had the chance to try.

"Well," she started slowly. "It isn't that simple. It can't be taken out all at once...at least not yet." She was stalling, buying herself time before she had to tell him the truth.

She could see his face fall into devastation; he had clearly been hoping that he would be rid of it by now. "Then how is it done?" he asked, hoping for some bit of hope to hold on to.

Again, his question was met with hesitation. "I'm...not completely sure yet," she admitted quietly. "But I'm going to keep researching, and I'll have it figured out soon." She was trying to sound as confident as possible in this answer, not wanting him to doubt her. But instead of being comforted by this, he was taken aback.

"B-but aren't you a healer?" he asked with wide eyes. "A magic healer? Shouldn't you know what to do?"

"Yes…" she started slowly, before realizing she had to come clean. "And no. I'm in training, so I'm not technically a healer yet, because I'm too young."

The fear he had been trying to push back came back to the front of his mind. He couldn't stand the thought that he had been lied to again. He had found it within himself to trust someone to help him, and she had lied. He could feel himself slipping back into the uncontrollable state of losing control again.

Winnie could see the physicality of his oncoming transformation. The blackish grey tendrils of mist surrounding him, the distant look on his face. She knew she had only seconds to get him back under control.

"Credence, I promise, within a few days I should be able to figure it out," she tried. "And in the meantime, you have a safe place to stay, away from anyone else who wanted to hurt you. I'll keep you safe, Credence, I promise. You'll be safe here."

Despite the growing feeling within him that just wanted to let go, he let her words bring him back. He clung to the idea that he was somewhere safe, away from his mother, away from Mr. Graves, away from the people who wanted him dead. He regained some of his composure and control over himself, enough that his form went back to normal.

"Everything will be alright," Winnie continued, relieved that it was working to calm him down. "I'm going to keep you away from anyone bad until I can figure out how to get the obscural out of you. And I can teach you how to control your magic, instead of suppressing it. I know for sure that, if you continue to fear your power instead of learning to harness it, everything will only get worse."

He wanted to ask if she could really teach him magic, the right kind of magic. But before he could open his mouth to ask, a small black mass jumped from the floor to his lap, purring as it nudged it's head against his hand. He jumped back slightly, taken off guard.

"Don't worry," Winnie said with a small smile. "That's just my cat. He's called London."

"Why is he called that?" Credence asked hesitantly, keeping very still so not to disturb the animal in a way that might make it mad. He didn't have much experience with pets. He was never allowed to have one, so he only really ever saw the few wild animals that roamed New York, like squirrels and birds. And from what he saw of them, they weren't very nice. But this cat seemed to be content curling up in his lap and closing it's eyes.

"Because that's where my parents live. London, England," she told him. "They gave him to me as a kitten right before they moved there for their job."

"What job do they have?" Credence asked, slowly lowering his hand onto the cat's head.

"They work as American ambassadors for the British Ministry of Magic." She could see the confusion on his face at her answer, and she remembered that he had no idea what that was. "The Ministry of Magic is basically the British version of MACUSA. That's the Magical Congress of the United States of America. It's headquarters are right here in New York City. It's basically the wizarding government."

"I see…" he said slowly, trying to wrap his head around the idea. Wizards had their own government? Was the community really that big?

A few moments of silence passed between them, with only the sound of London's purring filling the space. "So, it's true then?" Credence asked eventually.

"What's true?"

"That witches have black cats."

Winnie had to suppress a laugh at this. She had never really thought much of the irony, but she supposed that, to Credence, it was an obvious observation. "No, not really," she answered. "Witches are no more likely to have black cats than anyone else." She noticed the hesitant way he was touching the cat's head, and smiled slightly. "You can pet him, you know," she said. "He likes it. He won't hurt you."

He waited a moment before stroking the cat's fur a little more purposefully, instead of just lightly touching it's head. This movement and feeling, along with the light conversation between the two of them, was helping him calm down considerably.

As she watched him petting London, she noticed his clothes were torn and wet. "I'm going to go get you some of my brother's clothes, so you'll be more comfortable." Before he could say anything, she was up off the couch and going off into Theo's room. She picked out some of his old pajamas, something that would be small enough for Credence. Theo was taller than him, and broader too, but it would have to work for the time being.

"Come here," she called. "You can change in my room." She handed the soft clothes to him as he stepped into her room, and closed the door behind him with her on the other side.

"These are your brother's?" he asked through the door.

"Yes," she said. "Theo. He lives here with me. And my younger brother, Laurie." Saying his name, she remembered how she left him. She rushed over to the boys' room, relieved to see him still sleeping in his bed. Of course he was still sleeping-the spell she had cast on him would last at least through the rest of the night-but she was not supposed to have left him home alone. She picked up the sleeping child carefully, resting his head against her shoulder.

As she exited his room, Credence was stepping out of her room, now wearing the pajamas. As she suspected, they were too big on him. The sleeves hung over his hands, and he was struggling not to trip over the pants, but it was better than what he was wearing before.

Credence looking down at the sleeping child inquisitively, like he had never seen someone so small. "Does...does he have magic?" he asked quietly, still looking at Laurie.

"Yes," she said, nodding slightly. "He isn't old enough to have a wand yet, so mostly he just does little things on accident with his magic." She smiled fondly down at her brother, petting his soft blond hair carefully.

This all was so difficult for Credence to wrap his head around. Here was this little boy who had magic, who made things happen that he didn't mean to, but he was encouraged to continue. He was not punished for having magic, he was loved for who he was.

"Are you okay?" Winnie asked him, noticing that he seemed to be deep in thought. Credence nodded, but didn't answer out loud. "Are you hungry, or anything?" she asked, wanting to make him as comfortable as possible.

"No," he said, looking up at her for a short moment before letting his eyes fall to the ground again. "I'm just very tired."

"That makes sense," she said. "You can sleep in my bed for the night."

"No," he said quickly. "I-It's yours. I have no right to-"

"Credence," she interrupted him. "It's okay. I'm not tired anyways, and if I want to sleep later I can sleep on the couch. And, it's better that you're in a closed room, anyways. Until I figure out what I'm going to tell my older brother about you being here." The thought that her brother didn't know he was there hadn't occurred to him before, and his nerves kicked in again. What if he was furious? What if he hurt him, or Winnie, for it?

"You don't have to worry," she assured him, seeing the look of panic on his face. "Theo is very kind and understanding. There's nothing to worry about." The first part was true, but she had no idea how her brother was going to react to what she had done.

"Come on, let's get you to bed." With a wave of her wand she dressed the bed with new sheets and blankets.

"Remember," she told him, standing in the doorway of the bedroom, as he sat on the edge of the bed. "You're safe here. You can rest."

And hearing that, he was able to.


	3. Chapter 3

Hours had past since she had left Credence for the night, and Winnie was still up waiting. She had been alternating between sitting on the couch, anxiously tapping her foot, and pacing around the small apartment, careful not to make any noise that might wake Credence or Laurie, who's sleeping spell could be wearing off at any time.

She had expected Theo to be home a long time ago, and with each passing minute her anxiety about telling him what she had done grew.

She had just begun to consider going to bed and telling him in the morning, when her older brother finally walked through the door, looking disheveled and exhausted. She immediately stood up, facing where he stood in the doorway.

"Welcome home," she said, trying to hide her nerves, as he hung up his coat and hat.

"What are you still doing up?" he asked her, tiredly running his hands through his dark hair.

"I was waiting for you," she answered casually. "There's tea on the stove for you," she added. "Don't worry, I made it the no-maj way. No Magic Day, and all."

"Thanks, Win," he said as he walked over to pour himself a cup. She watched him silently, trying to gather herself enough to have this conversation calmly.

"So...what happened tonight?" she asked. He responded with a deep sigh.

"I really shouldn't tell you," he said.

"Oh, come on," she pressed. "I'm old enough to know what's going on around here." He hesitated before finally responding.

"Fine," he relented, sitting down and handing her a cup of tea as well. "The good news is that we found out one of our aurors has really been Gellert Grindelwald in disguise." This really was news to Winnie. She was definitely not expecting that to be the outcome of that night.

"Did you catch him?" she asked. She was no stranger to the news that had been circling with greater and greater intensity in the wizarding community. She knew how big of a threat Gindlewald was.

"He has been apprehended," Theo confirmed. "And, more good news, all of the mayhem that the obscurial caused has been wiped from the memories of all the no-maj's."

"How did that happen?" she asked. It was one thing to obliviate one or two no-maj's, but an entire city's worth was another thing entirely.

"It was strange," he began. "I don't quite understand it, myself. Someone named Mr. Scamander used one of his magical creatures to do it. Again, I don't know how. But whatever it was, it worked. There's no trace of the obscurial left anywhere." He sighed. "And that's also the bad news. "It escaped somewhere in the subway station, and we have no way of finding it until it attacks again. Which, obviously, we do not want to happen."

Winnie froze for a moment, trying to figure out how to shift this conversation to what she needed to say, all without upsetting him. "What is MACUSA going to do if they find him? The obscurial, I mean."

"Well, they'll most likely be put on trial. It did cause the death of several no-maj's. That's a serious offense." He finished his cup of tea, standing up as he continued. "I'm just glad to be home to rest. I'm going to be working a lot until the obscurial is found." He headed in the direction of his bedroom.

"Wait," Winnie called quickly, before she lost her nerve. "I...have something I need to tell you." He looked at her curiously. She took a deep breath.

"I know where the obscurial is," she admitted.

"Win, that isn't funny," he said, clearly not believing her.

"It's true," she said, as much as she didn't want to. "I left the apartment right after you did to go look for him. I thought that, if I could somehow find a way to cure it...I don't know, I'd be known as some kind of amazing healer. Which, you know is all I've ever wanted." She didn't stop talking, she couldn't or else she might freeze up again. "So I found him and brought him back to the house. And that's where he is. He's in my room."

Theo was quiet for much longer than she had anticipated, just looking at her with an unreadable expression. "You're telling me," he said in a slow, low voice. "That the obscurial is in our home right now?" Winnie could only nod. Another bit of too much time passed. "You need to go get Laurie and find somewhere safe to go until I can contact the other aurors to come get it. Now."

"No," she said as quickly as she could. "The obscurial isn't an 'it', he's a boy. A boy my age who's frightened and confused, but he isn't dangerous." She was struggling to get her words out quick enough, fearing that her brother would take action before she could convince him otherwise. "His name is Credence. He's a nice boy, and he's asleep right now. He's been in the house for hours and hasn't caused any destruction. So if we can just give him a safe place to stay while I figure out how to separate him from the obscural, he could be cured before-"

"Do you realize how dangerous and irresponsible it is to have brought it home?" Theo interrupted. "Especially with Laurie in the house. And where was Laurie when you went to go get it-"

"Credence," Winnie reminded him. "Credence isn't an 'it'." This was probably a mistake to point out at that moment, and she could see Theo seething with anger.

"Winnifred Magnolia Shae, did you leave Laurence, our brother, a barely four year old boy, alone in the house while you went off to go find some dangerous person?"

"No," she said, her resolve not nearly as strong as his. "I left him with London." Another mistake, and Theo got angrier. "And I put a sleeping spell on him so he would be asleep the whole time I was gone," she added quickly, trying to soften the blow. "And I was gone for less than an hour, which is barely any time at all." She could see that Theo was hardly listening to her at that point, and he was standing up to go towards her room.

She stood up as well, reaching out to grab his arm to stop him. "Please, don't call MACUSA," she begged. "Don't call the other aurors." She knew that if Credence was awoken to a swarm of strangers coming to haul him away, he would only lose control to his obscurus again. And if that happened, there was nothing stopping the aurors from hurting him. "Please, let him just sleep through the night, and then in the morning you can meet him, and we can all talk about what to do next. Theo, if he's an obscurial, that means his family has been terrible to him his entire life," she reminded him, trying to appeal to his empathy as a last ditch effort. "He's just a scared boy who needs someone to watch out for him, for the first time in his life. It's what mom and dad would do."

This, out of everything else, made Theo stop. He couldn't deny that it was true. If their parents were there, their first priority would be protecting the unfortunate boy. He took almost a full minute to think it over.

"Fine," he answered quietly, the reluctance clear in his voice. Immediately Winnie felt a sense of relief rush through her. "He can stay the night. But if anything happens, anything at all, I'm calling the other aurors and you will have no more say in what happens." It didn't matter to her. She nodded her head, reaching out to wrap her arms around him.

"Thank you," she whispered.

The moment the sun peaked through the curtains the next morning, Winnie was awake. Groggy, still wearing the same clothes from the day before, exhausted, but awake. Her first thought was to go check on Credence, which she did immediately.

She pushed the door open slowly, peeking her head inside to see if he was still asleep. She saw him already sitting up on the edge of the bed, his head hanging low, rubbing the palms of his hands absentmindedly. She could see the criss crosses of open red gashes mixed with puffy scars that littered his hands.

"Can I come in?" she asked softly. He jumped slightly at the suddenness of her being there, but nodded his head. She entered slowly, shutting the door behind her.

"What happened to you hands?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head, trying to evade the question. "It doesn't matter."

"Credence, we have to be honest with each other if we're going to be working to get your obscural out together," she reminded him. She stayed silent for a moment before speaking again. "Was it someone in your family?" She hoped more than anything that the answer way no, but when he nodded his head slowly before hanging it in shame, she couldn't say she was surprised.

"My mother," he said, his voice shaking as he tried to hold back tears.

"Who is she?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. "What was your family like?"

He didn't want to answer, he really didn't; the last thing he wanted to do was think about his family. But he knew that Winnie deserved an answer, after everything she did for him. "They were the center of the Second Salemers," he said hesitantly.

Winnie had, of course, heard about the group. How could she not? They were loud, abrasive, and very upfront about their opinions of the magical community. She found them to be a foul nuisance, but never thought of them as doing actual harm.

"That must have been awful," she said softly. "Living there and being a wizard." For the first time since she entered the room, he looked up at her.

"I-I've never thought of myself as...that," he said. "I can't do real magic. I can only destroy things."

"You're still a wizard," she said surely. "You have magical blood running through your veins. And, with the right help, you'll learn how to use your powers properly." To Winnie, this was simply the truth. But to Credence, it was a beacon of hope to hang onto. It was what he had always wanted.

"Come on," she said, gesturing him to follow her as she walked to the kitchen. She instructed him to sit down at the table as she opened the cabinet, gathering jars and bottles and placing them on the counter. He watched her mixing them together in a bowl before she brought it over to him.

She sat down across from him. "Give me your hands," she instructed in a kind voice. His first instinct was to pull away further, but he went against it and, reluctantly, held his hands out to her. Close up, she could see how bad it really was; there was barely any skin not covered in scars or fresh wounds. She carefully held onto the back of one of his upturned hands, sending a rush of warmth through him. He had experienced kind human contact so rarely that any instance of it was addicting-he never wanted it to end.

"It might be a little cold," she warned him before taking the salve she had made in the bowl and applying it to his palms. He felt a slight tingling and a brief sense of coolness, before she wiped it away with a small towel.

When he looked down, he saw that all the open cuts and angry looking scars had faded into light lines, like they were years old.

"How did you do that?" he asked her in amazement.

"I told you, I'm a healer," she said with a shrug. "Or, at least, training to be one. So I know how to treat wounds like that. And, I promise you, those will be the last marks you ever receive as a result of someone's unkindness."

She stood up and started cleaning up the supplies she had used, putting everything back away into the cupboards. As she worked, Theo came out of his room, fully dressed and with an intense look on his face. When he saw him, Credence stood up nervously. He alternated between looking up at the physically intimidating man, and looking down at his feet, while Theo just glared at him.

"Good morning," Winnie said brightly, trying to diffuse the tension. "Credence, this is my brother Theo. Theo, Credence." She stared at her brother, silently willing him to make himself less scary looking. "Why don't I make breakfast?" she offered. She didn't wait for a response before taking out her wand and using it to get all of the ingredients for eggs, toast, and tea out of their places and onto the stove for cooking.

As they all sat down, Winnie next to Credence and Theo across from him, their plates landed in front of them, the food placing itself soon after. Instead of watching it in wonder, Credence stared down at the table, feeling Theo's eyes burning into him like fire.

"Credence, you should eat," Winnie urged quietly. He was clearly malnourished, and wanted to get some food in him as soon as possible. He glanced at her before nervously taking a few bites of the warm food, afraid the whole time. He was barely comfortable with Winnie being so close, so having Theo there imposed a whole new sense of fear in him.

"You aren't going to go full obscural, are you?" Theo asked, earning a warning glare from Winnie.

"No," Credence answered quietly. "I feel very much myself, right now."

"So," Winnie said to Theo, trying to get the attention away from Credence having to answer questions, knowing it made him uncomfortable. "Credence was a part of the Second Salemers. His mother was the leader. That's why he developed the obscural in the first place." She directed herself to both of them. "It's very rare, basically unheard of, that an obscurial live past the age of ten. Which means that Credence is very special."

"Even if he's special," Theo said, his voice softening a little. "I can't go against the direct orders I have from MACUSA. I have to report any leads I have as to where he might be."

"They'll never know if you don't say anything," she pointed out.

"They always have their ways of knowing," he said with a sigh. "Besides, we can't keep him hidden in our tiny apartment forever. Eventually he is going to need to go outside, have a life." As much as she wanted to, Winnie couldn't argue with that.

"You understand, don't you Credence?" Winnie asked, trying to hide the sadness in her voice. Credence only nodded, looking back down at the table.

"Fine," she said to Theo. "You can tell them you know where he is, under one condition. You have to tell them that Credence isn't dangerous now, and that none of what happened last night, or any time before that, was his fault."

"Fine," Theo agreed. Though, knowing MACUSA, he didn't know how effective the word of a trainee auror was going to be. He looked over to Credence. "I'll go get you some of my clothes to wear." He stood up without another word and headed to his room, but Winnie took comfort in the fact that he offered out that kindness. It gave her hope that he really was going to advocate for Credence.


	4. Chapter 4

By the time midnoon came about, Credence, Winnie, and Theo were standing in the center of a large room in the MACUSA headquarters, surrounded by seats. At the front, President Picquery stood, facing them all with a stern look. She was surrounded by about a dozen aurors, all looking at them in varying degrees of disapproval.

Theo had left the family's apartment at noon to go to the MACUSA headquarters and report what had happened. Shortly later, Winnie had gotten a call from him, saying that she and Credence needed to meet him there immediately.

Apparently they were being put on "informal trial" for "concealing a dangerous and wanted wizard."

"Miss Shae," Madame Picquery spoke, addressing Winnie. "How do you plead to the charges against you?"

"Not guilty," Winnie answered confidently. "Because Credence isn't dangerous. He's a victim of circumstance, and that's all."

"So you don't deny hiding him, then?" the president questioned.

Winnie hesitated, debating how to go about her answer. "No," she said, her voice sounding smaller than before. "I do not deny hiding him for the night."

"What would possess you, a bright young witch, with top marks at school, a well known family, and a promising future, to do such a thing?" Madame Picquery asked. She clearly remembered Winnie from the times MACUSA had offered her internships based off of the grades she graduated from school with.

Winnie knew there were a few ways she could answer, all of which would have different outcomes. In the end, she decided that telling the truth was the easiest. "I thought that, if I had the chance, I would be able to cure him of his obscural," she said. "And then, once I had him, I realized that he was too good of a person to just hand over to the authorities. And, like I said, Credence isn't dangerous, which is why I felt comfortable keeping him in my home. I trust him."

"I have to remind you, Miss Shae, that he is responsible for the deaths of three no-maj's, including his mother and sister, and major destruction of the city, risking exposure of the magical community," Madame Picquery said.

"That wasn't his fault," Winnie argued. "It wasn't his fault that he developed his obscurus, and it wasn't his fault that he lost control of it. And, I have to remind you, President Picquery, that you are the one that let Grindlewald masquerade as one of your aurors and get Credence involved in the first place."

"Winnie, enough," Theo scolded quietly, his voice sharp. "Stop arguing."

"And you, Mr. Shae," Madame Picquery continued. "Why, as a promising auror in training, did you not immediately report the situation when the obscurial had been found?"

"My first thought was to do that, Madame President," Theo answered. "But my sister convinced me that it would only cause him to lose control again, and I didn't want anyone else to be at risk."

"I suppose that brings us to you, then, Credence," she said. "What are your thoughts of all the destruction you caused?"

Credence looked to Winnie instinctively, nervous to be called out and answering to such a clearly important person. Winnie gave him a small nod of assurance, letting him know that it was okay for him to continue. "I-I am very sorry about what happened," Credence answered shakily. "I never would have done it by my own will."

Madame Picquery hesitated for a few moments, considering what she should do. Technically, the boy was a criminal. But he had been influenced by forces much stronger than himself; he had nothing to do with bringing upon the disaster. She turned to address one of the aurors at her side.

"Ms. Goldstein," she said, getting the attention of a young woman. "Seeing as you have been in brief contact with the boy before, were at the scene of the destruction last night, and as a newly reappointed auror, what do you make of the situation?" The woman, Ms. Goldstein, stood up from her seat. Credence's eyes widened as he recognized her from a while before, when she had saved him from a beating from his mother. She was the first witch he had ever trusted.

"While acknowledging that Credence was, and might still be, dangerous while the obscural is still inside of him, I am on his side completely," she answered. "I don't believe he should be punished for any of what happened. It was the fault of his mother that caused him to develop the obscural to begin with. And, now that she's dead, there is no one else to place the blame on." She paused for a moment, looking over at the two siblings standing next to Credence. "I also think, seeing as how the Shae's managed to not only calm Credence down from his obscural state last night, but also kept him from losing control all this time, I see it fit that they be charged with looking after Credence until he is cured of his obscural." This came as a shock to everyone in the room, especially Winnie and Theo. "And who knows, if Miss Shae is as promising of a witch as everyone seems to think, maybe she does stand a chance of curing him of his obscural."

Madame Picquery considered this notion for a moment. "What do you two think of that?" she asked the two siblings.

"I would be willing to take full responsibility for Credence," Winnie answered quickly.

"I do agree that it would be fitting punishment for Mr. Shae after is infringement," she president mused. She nodded in finality, looking at Theo. "It will be your responsibility to make sure he, and your sister, stay out of trouble. If there is any more damage caused by either one of them, it will be on you." Theo opened his mouth to say something, possibly argue, but was stopped.

"And, seeing as how this was Ms. Goldstein's idea," Madame Picquery continued. "And as Mr. Shae's senior auror, she will also be responsible for overseeing them." The woman nodded.

"I have faith in both Credence and the Shae's that they will be able to keep anything bad from happening again," she said. "And I will make sure that they are able to accomplish this."

"Wonderful," Madame Picquery said, clearly anxious to have such a controversial case over with. "You are all dismissed."

… … … … … …

Minutes after the trial ended, Winnie, Credence, and Theo apparated in front of their apartment building. Winnie, who had been watching Theo closely since Madame Picquery had issued his punishment, could see that something was wrong with him, but he was acting like he was trying to hide it. She didn't know what he was so upset about; to her, this was the best possible outcome. Now not only could she continue helping and studying Credence, she had the support of MACUSA, so she wouldn't have to hide it.

"What's wrong," she asked him, wanting to fix whatever was making her brother upset.

"Nothing," Theo said dismissively, before turning to address Credence. "I'll work on getting you some clothes of your own to wear, and a bed to sleep in, as soon as possible." His voice was distant, distracted, like his mind was somewhere else entirely.

"Thank you," Credence said quietly. He too could see that something was wrong with Theo, and he couldn't help but think that it was his fault.

The three walked into the building, climbing up the stairs until they reached the right floor. Winnie only had to knock on the door once before it flew open. Hannah, the babysitter they had hired to watch Laurie, was standing there, frazzled and panicking.

"There is a spirit haunting this apartment," she said in a grave tone. "It was making things fly around in the air, throwing things off the shelves, scaring me half to death. You're lucky you arrived home when you did. I was just about to take Laurence and get us both somewhere safe."

Neither Winnie or Theo reacted at all to this; they both know that the occurrences were not due to a ghost, but were Laurie's doing. Winnie pulled her wand from her jacket pocket and flicked it in front of Hannah's face.

"Obliviate," she said quickly. Instantly, the older woman's face calmed down, and turned from panic to confusion.

"Oh, Winnifred, darling," she said in a spacey voice as she looked around. "What on earth am I doing here?"

"You were just passing by on your way to your apartment," Theo answered calmly. Hannah nodded, thinking that must be the only explanation, before walking off in a daze.

"We need to find a new babysitter," Theo muttered. "One that isn't a no-maj." Winnie turned to Credence.

"Laurie can't control his magic yet, so the babysitter always panics about the strange happenings he causes," she told him. "She's an overly superstitious woman, so she insists that it's a ghost every time. So we have to erase her memories from the last couple house to make sure she doesn't remember anything." Credence nodded, partly nervous about them having the ability to do something as drastic as erasing memories, partly impressed for the same reason.

As they walked into the apartment, they saw Laurie sitting on the floor, entertaining himself with his toys like nothing had happened.

"Laurence Harold," Theo scolded lightly, getting the little boy's attention. "What do we say about doing magic in front of the no-maj's?"

"To not to do it," Laurie pouted, standing up to hug the legs of his older brother. He knew how to manipulate him into forgetting his anger; he was a child who knew he was cute, and was willing to use it to his advantage. "But I can't help it. When I get excited, or mad, or something like that, the magic just happens."

"That's what it's like for me, too," Credence said in a whisper, looking down at his shoes. Winnie wanted to do something to comfort Credence, to let him know that it was okay, but knew there was something else to do first.

"Laurie," she said lightly. "This is our new friend, Credence. He is going to be staying with us for a while." Laurie looked up at the much taller boy, examining him the way he would with any new person or place.

"Can I do magic in front of him?" he asked.

"Yes, you can," Winnie assured him. "Credence is like you; he's still learning how to use his magic. So he won't be able to do spells like me and Theo yet, but he will learn just like you."

"Okay," the little boy said with a nod, before turning his attention back to Credence. "Do you want to play?" he asked. Credence froze, looking to Winnie for an answer. But Winnie only smiled; she knew her little brother, so she knew that he wouldn't take no for an answer.

Before Credence could say anything, Laurie reached up to hold onto his sleeve, dragging him over to his set of blocks.

 **((Hello! I just wanted to add a quick note to the end of this chapter to thank everyone who has been reading this story so far. I also want to give a special thanks to everyone who has reviewed! Reviews mean so much to me, and give me the motivation to write these chapters a lot faster. So, I would really appreciate it if you would review this chapter as well! I also wanted to give you a quick heads-up about the scheduling for this story- I'm on school vacation right now, which is why I have been able to post every few days. But soon, once I move back to school, updates will be about once a week. I promise that I try to stay as consistent as possible! Again, thank you to everyone!))**


	5. Chapter 5

Winnie was awoken by the sound of muffled cries coming from outside of her room. She looked up at the clock on the wall, seeing that it was three in the morning. She jumped out of bed and rushed out of her room towards the source of the sound. She was led to the living room, where Credence was asleep on the couch. His body was shaking from his sobs and from fear, but what concerned her most was swirling black mist of his obscural forming around him. He was still sleeping, but caught in a nightmare that was causing him distress.

Without thinking first, she ran over to him, pushing through the haze to shake his shoulders.

"Credence, wake up," she said, needing him to get back under control before he lost it completely. "Come on, wake up. You're okay, but you have to wake up."

Within a few moments, Credence's eyes flew open. He had a terrified but distant expression on his face, like he didn't know what he was seeing, like his dream was still too real in his mind for him to see reality. His first instinct was to sit up and reach forward. He clung to Winnie, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly. He was desperate for physical comfort, which caused his body to react before his mind did. Winnie wasn't sure what to do, so she just let him continue, hoping that it would help him.

"I'm sorry," he whimpered quietly, his voice shaking. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, I'm so sorry."

"What are you talking about?" Winnie asked softly. "What's wrong?" Hearing her speak, Credence paused. After a second he pulled back to look at her.

"Winnie?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes, it's me," she assured him. "You were just having a nightmare. It's okay now, you're safe."

"I-I'm sorry for…" his voice trailed off, but she knew he was apologizing for embracing her. He looked down, refusing to meet her eyes.

"It's okay," she told him. "I didn't mind, as long as you're feeling better." It was then that he noticed the haze around him, as it started receding back into him. His fear started to grow again.

"Did I do anything?" he asked worriedly. "Did I hurt someone, or destroy anything?"

"No, you didn't," she told him. "Everything is okay."

"I'm sorry," he said again. "For letting it get out of control."

"It's not your fault," she said. "It doesn't matter now, you're back to normal." He looked back down again, and a tear fell down his face. He tried to wipe it away before she could see it, but it was too late.

"I'm so afraid of hurting someone again," he whispered shakily.

"Oh, Credence," she said, sad that he was still holding so much fear inside of him. "You don't have to worry about that. I'm going to make sure that you're okay, and that you never lose control completely again."

The two sat in silence for a minute, allowing Credence's breathing to slow down as he worked on regaining his calm.

"What were you dreaming about?" she asked eventually, breaking the silence.

"My mother, mostly," he admitted. "And my sister." Winnie remembered what Madame Picquery had said about him killing his mother and sister while in obscurus form.

"Credence, that wasn't your fault," she told him. "Your mother hurt you. She was the reason you developed your obscurus in the first place. She deserved whatever fate she was met with." More tears fell down his face.

"I know," he said quietly. Winnie reached out, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"She's never going to hurt you again," she promised. "You're safe now." Credence finally looked up at her, before leaning forward to hold her again, more hesitantly than before. This time she hugged him back, holding him for as long as he needed to be held.

… … … … … …

Later in the morning, there was a knock on the apartment door. Laurie, Credence, and Winnie were still asleep, though Theo had left for work a half hour before. The knocking woke Winnie, but didn't seem to disturb anyone else.

Exhausted, Winnie wrapped a bathrobe around herself and walked to the door. When she opened it, she saw the woman from the day before, Ms. Goldstein, standing there in full auror attire.

"Ms. Goldstein?" she asked, confused as to why she was there at seven in the morning.

"Oh, please, call me Tina," she said with a smile. She spoke like she was trying to find a middle ground between formality and casual conversation.

"Okay," Winnie said. "Um, what brings you here?"

"I'm here to check on you all," Tina answered. "It's my new responsibility, as you heard yesterday."

"Oh, okay," she said, still not entirely sure what this check in would entail.

"I apologize for interrupting so early, and for waking you," the woman said. "Is Credence awake?"

"No," Winnie answered. "He had a rough night, so he'll probably be sleeping for a little while longer."

"That's alright," she said. "Could I speak with you, then?" Before Winnie could answer, tiny footsteps made their way into the room.

"What's happening? Laurie asked with a yawn, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Winnie picked him up, placing a kiss on his forehead.

"We just have a visitor," she told him. Content with the answer, he leaned his head on his sister's shoulder, clearly not ready to be awake yet.

"I didn't know there was a child in the home," Tina said, confused.

"This is my brother, Laurie," Winnie introduced.

"I must have missed that in your file…" she muttered to herself.

Winnie stepped aside from the door. "Please, come in," she said, and Tina stepped into the apartment. Winnie put Laurie down, and he crawled over to lay his head down on the sleeping cat on the floor, closing his eyes. Winnie waved her wand in the direction of the kitchen, preparing tea. "Are you hungry, Ms. Goldstein?" she asked.

"No, thank you," Tina answered. The two of them sat down at the kitchen table as their cups of tea lowered themselves in front of them.

"So," Tina said. "How are you all doing after the results of yesterday's trial?

"I'm doing fine," Winnie said. "I'm glad that Credence was placed with us. And he's doing well, too, considering everything that had happened. I'm willing to bet he'll improve every day."

"And how about Theodore?" Tina asked.

"Theo is...dealing with it in his own way," she admitted. "I don't think he's too thrilled with Credence staying with us, though I don't know why. But it'll be fine, he'll get past it eventually. I'm just glad he didn't lose his job. He likes it so much."

"He has the makings of an amazing auror, once he finishes training," Tina said. The two took a minute to sip their tea before Tina spoke again.

"So, Winnifred-" she started.

"Oh, please, call me Winnie," she interrupted. "I'm only Winnifred when I'm in trouble." Tina smiled and continued.

"Okay, Winnie. What have you been up to the past few years? Do you have any plans for what you'd like to be doing?"

"Well, I only graduated from Ilvermorny last year," Winnie answered.

"What house were you in?" Tina asked curiously.

"Pukwudgie," she said.

"Oh, my sister was in that house," Tina said brightly. "Do you know her? Queenie Goldstein. She would have been a seventh year when you were a first year."

"I'm not sure," Winnie said. "I mostly kept to myself in school, but I might recognize her if I saw her."

"Well, that might not be a problem," she said. "Queenie and our friend Newt want to check up on Credence and meet you all, since they knew Credence a bit from before."

"That should be fine," Winnie said. "Once Credence is up to it." Tina smiled and nodded, before continuing.

"Was Theodore a Pukwudgie as well?" she asked.

"No, he was a Horned Serpent."

"What's a Horned Serpent?" a voice asked from across the room. The two turned around to see Credence standing there in his pajamas, looking back at them. Seeing Tina, he froze, remembering the first time he had met her.

"Hello, Credence," Tina said with a smile. "You're looking well."

"Come sit down with us," Winnie invited, gesturing to the chair next to her. "Horned Serpent is one of the houses at the school we went to, named after a magical creature," she told him as he walked over to join them at the table.

"Is there really a magical school?" he asked, intrigued by the thought. Winnie nodded.

"All witches and wizards in America go to a school called Ilvermorny," she told him.

"The school is broken up into four houses," Tina added. "Each of which represents a different kind of wizard; warriors, adventurers, scholars, and healers."

"You must have been in the healer house," he said to Winnie, and she nodded.

"It's called Pukwudgie," she said.

"Will I be able to go to the school?" Credence asked.

"Unfortunately, no," Tina said with a pitying half smile. "You're too old now."

"Don't worry," Winnie assured him. "We're going to teach you just as much magic as you would have learned at Ilvermorny, and more." Credence nodded, trying not to be disappointed.

"How are you feeling, Credence?" Tina asked.

"Better than before," he answered. "Which is more than I had ever thought would be possible."

"That's very good," Tina said with a smile.

Winnie looked over at her. "Did you come here for anything specific?" she asked her.

"Just to check in, which I will be doing pretty often," she said. "And, to invite you to dinner at me and my sister's apartment this evening, if you're feeling up to it. The whole family is invited to come." Winnie looked to Credence to see if he was okay with it.

"That sounds fine," he answered. "Thank you for the invitation."

"Wonderful," Tina said. "I'll make sure it's okay with Theodore once I get back to headquarters." She stood up. "I should be getting back to work, but I'll see you all tonight!" And with that, the auror took out her wand and apparated out of the apartment.


	6. Chapter 6

The three Shae siblings, plus Credence, had made their way a few blocks away from their own apartment building-Theo had insisted that they walk instead of apparate, something about getting exercise or some other nonsense-to the address Tina had given them. They were making their way up the stairs in silence, none of them knowing what to say; they had no idea what to expect. Though Tina had insisted that it was just a friendly dinner, Theo was having a hard time seeing her as anything other than his superior auror, and Winnie and Credence barely knew her at all.

Once at the top of the stairs, Winnie took a moment to tug at the end of her dress; she typically wasn't one to get dressed up, but Theo had insisted that it was the proper thing to do. Next to her, Credence was wearing some of Theo's clothes that Winnie had hemmed using enchanted scissors, needles, and thread. It was her first time trying to sew, so it hadn't gone as well as she'd hoped, but he at least looked presentable.

On top of his ill-fitting clothing, Credence was visibly uncomfortable and nervous. He was wringing his hands together, and his chin was tucked into his neck, like he was trying to make himself smaller. Winnie wished that she could pull him aside and reassure him, but it was too late.

She stepped forward and knocked on the apartment door. Before her knuckle could hit the wood a second time, the door flew open. A beautiful blonde woman stood in the doorway, wearing a pink frock and a brilliant smile. She immediately pulled Winnie into a hug.

"It's so nice to meet you," the woman said excitedly before pulling back. She moved over to hug Credence, who seemed even more intimidated than before.

"Oh, it's okay, honey," she said in a kind voice. "You have nothing to worry about."

"H-How did you…" Credence started, looking at her in wonder.

"Know what you were thinking?" she finished for him, giving a small wink. "I'm a legilimens," and then, seeing his confusion, "Which means I can read people's thoughts."

"Queenie, let them breathe," Tina said as she stepped into the doorway, looking like she had just got home from work a short while before.

"Sorry," Queenie said, smiling again, before stepping aside to let them into the apartment. She looked over the group again, her eyes landing on Theo.

"So you must be Theodore?" she asked, extending out her hand instead of going in for a hug, probably because Tina was still watching her closely.

"I am," he answered with a nod as he shook her hand. "Thank you both for inviting us into your home."

"It's our pleasure," Queenie said. "As soon as Teenie told me what happened, I just had to check on Credence, and meet the people who took him in." She was still smiling when she looked down to see Laurie, who was standing against Theo's side, holding onto his brother's hand.

"And who is this precious little darling?" she asked, kneeling down to get on his level. "Laurie," she cooed, answering her own question after hearing it in someone else's mind.

"C'mon, Queenie," Tina urged. "The poor thing's probably terrified." Queenie gave Laurie one last smile before standing back up.

"As you've probably already guessed, this is my sister, Queenie," Tina introduced. "And over here," she said, leading them into the parlor, where two men were sitting. "Are our other guests, Newt Scamander and Jacob Kowalski." The two men stood up as they were introduced, offering small, awkward waves. Winnie realized that she recognized one of them, Newt, from somewhere, but she couldn't quite remember where. Credence, however, knew exactly where he had seen him before; he was the man who was fighting with Mr. Graves the night Winnie had found him. He tried not to be intimidating, reminding himself that he was trying to help him.

"Jacob Kowalski, the no-maj?" Theo asked, looking at Tina incredulously. "And Newt Scamander, the criminal we arrested last week?"

"The criminal you and the other aurors arrested last week," she reminded him. "The same time you arrested me. And yes, the very same." She offered no other explanation, and didn't seem to be willing to give one.

"Why hasn't Mr. Kowalski been obliviated?" Theo asked, looking to the shorter man in disbelief.

"An oversight on Madame Picquery's part," Queenie answered with a sly smile. "In all the excitement the other night, she forgot to order him to be obliviated. We aren't going to act without her orders." This clear loophole to a very serious rule was obviously bothering Theo, who spent his life dedicated to following the rules. But he didn't say anything else about it.

"Newt, Jacob, these are the Shae's," Tina introduced. "Winnie, Theodore, and Laurie. And you know all about Credence." At the mention of his name, Credence shied back slightly, taking a step closer to Winnie, almost standing behind her at this point.

"You're all welcome to sit down," Tina continued. "Make yourselves at home. Dinner should be done soon." Credence followed close behind Winnie as she sat down on an empty couch, and he sat down next to her. After a moment, she noticed him looking off at something on the other side of the apartment. She followed his gaze and saw the multiple pots, pans, other appliances, and food flying around the kitchen.

"Who's enchanting that?" she Asked.

"That would be me," Queenie said brightly.

"That's amazing," Winnie said. "I always have trouble with cooking, magical or not. I can only get one or two things going at once."

"Thank you," Queenie said happily, clearly pleased that someone had taken notice.

"So Credence," Newt said, leaning forward to look at the boy. "How are you feeling?"

Credence looked nervously to Winnie, out of habit by this point, before answering. "I'm doing okay," he answered shakily. Newt nodded with a small smile.

"I have to apologize for the scene I left you in the last time we were together," he said. "I didn't get a chance to say much to you before Winnie stole you out from under my nose." He glanced at Winnie, not angrily, but almost impressed.

"I'm glad Winnie found me," Credence said in a moment of bravery. Winnie quickly turned to look at him, a bit surprised; he had never said much about whether or not he was glad she had taken him from where she met him.

"I am as well," Newt said, offering a half smile to them both.

"How much longer are you staying in America, Mr. Scamander?" Theo asked. He clearly knew more about him than Winnie did, probably because of his activity that Theo had been involved in tracking once he was turned in to MACUSA.

"Well, my original plan was to leave in a few days," he answered. "But," he looked to Tina. "I think I've decided to stay a bit longer, at least for the time being." While the two men talked, Winnie turned her attention to Jacob.

"What's it like being a no-maj, Mr. Kowalski?" she asked, extremely curious. She had never interacted with a no-maj who she could speak freely to about magic, and it excited her to do so.

"Winnie," Theo chided. "That's a rude question."

"No, it's fine," Jacob said with a smile. "I mean, compared to what I know now about what it's like to be a wizard, it's nothing," he answered Winnie's question. "If I had a choice, I would live in Newt's case forever," he added with a short laugh. Winnie looked at him oddly.

"Why would you want to live in a case?" she asked, not at all understanding what he meant.

"It's the case with all the magical creatures inside of it," Theo reminded her. "The reason he was arrested in the first place." He wasn't happy to be sitting near who he still considered a criminal, but he was clearly trying to get over it for everyone else's sake.

"I have heightened the security measures of my case," Newt assured him. "No more creatures will be making unplanned exits."

"Mr. Scamander, I've read a lot about the healing properties of the byproducts that many magical beasts produce," Winnie said, her excitement growing again. "Have you ever looked into it?"

"Winnie's a healer," Tina interjected, for Newt's sake. "At least, training to be a proper one."

"I've studied it some," Newt told Winnie. "My main priority is caring for, looking after, and observing my creatures, but I do research things such as their venom, saliva, and the likes from time to time."

"Amazing," Winnie said, thoroughly enthralled by the idea of all the creatures that were currently inside of the case laying at his feet.

"You're welcome to join me in a visit into the case whenever you'd like," Newt offered. "So you can observe my creatures, and maybe even collect a few samples to study."

"Really?" Winnie asked, her eyes widening in excitement.

"I'm not so sure that it's a good idea," Theo interrupted.

"Oh, it's perfectly safe," Newt assured him.

"Even I've gotten out of there unscathed," Jacob chimed in.

"You're welcome to come as well, Credence," Newt said.

"Oh...I don't know…" Credence said hesitantly.

"Come on, Credence," Winnie urged. "It's a good idea, you would like it."

"What would happen if the animals don't like me?" he asked worriedly.

"Everyone likes you," Winnie assured him. "And the animals would be no different."

"I'm sure they would all like you very much," Newt added.

Credence looked between the two of them nervously, seeing that neither of them were going to let up about this. "O-Okay, maybe," he finally said. Newt smiled and then turned his attention back to Jacob, resuming whatever conversation they had been having before the others arrived. Winnie placed a hand on Credences knee and squeezed him lightly in reassurance.

"You're doing really well," she whispered to him, which earned the shadow of a smile from him.

It wasn't long before Queenie called, "Dinner's ready!" from the kitchen. They all stood up and made their way towards the table.

 **((Sorry for this being a bit of a shorter chapter. I've been very busy lately and haven't had much time to write. Like I said before, the schedule for this story will be a little more consistent once the semester starts and I move back to school. But for now, thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing, I really appreaciate it!))**


	7. Chapter 7

Dinner at the Goldsteins house had gone better than Winnie could have hoped. There wasn't even one disaster, and she considered that a success. She had had endless questions for Newt about his creatures, and for Jacob about life as a no-maj. Laurie seemed to have taken quite a bit to Queenie, and no one could blame him; her smile and enthusiasm was the epitome of what children were drawn to. And she quickly grew to adore the little boy as well. Theo had spent the evening trying to make small talk with Tina about work, though it was clear he wasn't as comfortable there as his siblings.

The next day had gone on quietly, with no real notable events, to everyone's relief. Theo had the day off of work because of the weekend, and he had spent most of it shut up in his room by himself. Winnie assumed it was because he was feeling a bit under the weather, but she didn't ask. It was typically better to let Theo keep to himself when possible. So she had spent the day split between taking care of Laurie-which was much easier with Credence around, seeing as how Laurie found him endlessly entertaining, even if Credence always seemed afraid around him, like he was going to break the child with one wrong look- and with her nose buried in a pile of books. She was researching everything she could find about obscurals, and the different things that might help in the healing of one. Nothing was giving her a positive answer, and the gloom of it all forced her to close the books and focus on making dinner to distract herself from it.

With a simple supper cooking on the stove, Theo finally emerged from his room late in the evening. He looked exhausted and a bit grumpy, but not sick.

"How are you feeling?" Winnie asked anyways.

"Fine," he mumbled, not even pausing to look at her.

She didn't believe him, but didn't ask him any more questions, not wanting to upset him even more.

"Dinner's almost done," she said to both Theo and Credence. "You can start sitting down at the table." Credence and Laurie stood up from where they were playing with blocks, but Theo didn't move.

"I'm not hungry," he said quietly. "I'm just up to stretch my legs and get some water."

"You haven't eaten all day," Winnie pushed. "Theo, tell me what's going on. What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," he replied, more angrily than before. "I'm fine. Stop worrying about it."

Their small argument was interrupted by the sound of a glass smashing on the ground. They turned around to see the spray of class at Credence's feet; he had picked it up to set the table, but had accidentally dropped it.

As soon as it happened, he bagan to shake in fear. His hand stung with the memory of what used to happen to him when he broke something. Terrible memories of mistakes made in his old home, and his mother's punishments, came flooding into his mind.

"I'm so sorry," he said, his voice shaking. "I-I'll replace it. I'm sorry, I wasn't paying enough attention. I'm clumsy and stupid-" He knelt down to pick up the shards of glass, but his hands were shaking so badly that he cut his palm on the sharp edge of one piece. The dark haze that he felt inside began growing on the outside of him, the black mist growing every second.

"Credence," Winnie said softly, trying to get his attention, to get him back to his right mind and keep him from hurting himself any more. "It's okay. Just back up from the glass." She took her wand from her pocket and used it to clean the mess up instantly.

"I'm so sorry," he continued, the tendrils around him not receding at all. "I'm so stupid, I can't believe I-"

""Credence," she interrupted. "It was an accident. It's just a cup, it doesn't matter."

Theo ran to pick Laurie up and get him away from Credence. "Winnie!" he yelled. "Get away from him!" Winnie turned around to look at her brother, upset at his reaction.

"It's going to be okay," she assured him, trusting that Credence would regain control of himself before anything got worse. She turned back to Credence and took a step towards him. "You need to calm down," she said slowly. "It was only a glass. Nobody is mad at you. Nobody is going to hurt you." She put her hand on his sohulder, feeling the icy air of the obscural now surrounding them both, but she ignored it.

With the physical contact, Credence began to breathe deeper and calm down slightly, the mist receding back into him. Winnie wished for just a moment that it would go away from him instead of going back inside him, not wanting all of that pain and darkness to be trapped in him.

"I'm sorry," he said again, this time in a whisper.

"It's not your fault," she assured him. "You're safe."

The rest of the evening went by quickly and quietly. Theo left to close himself back in his room, so the rest ate dinner without him. Credence was more removed than before, still upset about letting himself lose control. He didn't say a word to Winnie, and didn't go back to play with Laurie after dinner.

After Winnie put Laurie to bed, she sat down next to Credence on the couch.

"How are you feeling?" she asked carefully, not wanting to upset him again.

"I'm very sorry," he said. "It was irresponsible for me to let myself lose it like that."

"It's not your fault," she reminded him, placing a hand on his shoulder, knowing that the contact usually could calm him down. She looked up into his tired eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of the obscural raging inside of him. But she saw nothing except the sad, scared boy desperate for approval and some kind of connection. She wished more than anything that she could fix it all for him, and that she could be the person he needed in order to let himself get past what had happened to him in his life. But a part of her knew that he needed much more than a friend to get through what was going on in his mind.

"Maybe we'll find something in Newt's menagerie that will help," she said, trying to sound optimistic.

"Maybe," Credence replied, nodding his head slowly but looking down instead of at her. He wanted her to think that he believed her, but deep down he knew that there was no cure for him, that he was going to keep being a destructive danger until he died. But he dared not say that to Winnie' she was just so hopeful, though he couldn't imagine why. He didn't understand a lot about Winnie, most of all why she cared so much about what happened to him. He had done nothing but cause her and her family problems, and had done nothing to prove to her that he was going to get better. It just didn't make sense.

She offered him a small smile before getting up to let him go back to the book he had been reading before she sat down. She went over to Theo's room, wanting to talk to him about what had happened earlier.

When she entered the room, her brother was visibly upset, and that only intensified when he saw her. He opened his mouth to say something, but she was angry too, and wasn't going to let him have the first word.

"Why did you get so upset before?" she demanded. "You nearly made Credence lose control."

"That's the exact reason I'm upset, Winnie," he snapped. "If he had really lost it, he could have easily killed us. I wasn't going to sit back and watch you and Laurie die."

"Credence would never hurt any of us," she argued, really believing it to be true.

"You barely even know him!" Theo yelled. "And you know nothing of obscurals. They will hurt whoever is in their path, no matter what you think of them as a person."

"Credence isn't like that!" she insisted. "He's getting better every day."

"He is exactly like that," he said. "Do you not remember what happened before he came here? Do you remember how much destruction he caused, how much he killed?"

"That wasn't his fault," she said firmly. "It was the fault of all the people who treated him badly. The people who betrayed his trust. And the people who didn't appreciate him, which is exactly what you're doing right now!"

"You are not going to put any of the blame on me!" he said. "I didn't want Credence here in the first place. If I had my way, and it wouldn't affect my job, I would have let him be put in prison, or left out on the street for what he did, because he isn't my problem. I'm only involved because you had to involve yourself, to prove yourself. I will never forgive you for putting our family at risk like you've been doing. And I will _never_ trust Credence."

Winnie was taken back by her brother's words. "I can't believe that you-" she began, but she was cut off by the sound of the front door slamming shut. Her heart sank, the worst coming into her head, and she ran out of the room. Credence wasn't in the spot on the couch where she had left him, and, looking around, she couldn't see him anywhere.

"Credence?" she shouted, hoping that he would appear, but he didn't. She knew he had left the house.

"Look what you've done!" she yelled at Theo, who was standing in the doorway of his room, a concerned expression on his face. She didn't give him time to respond before pulling on her coat and running out the door.

 **((I'm SO sorry that this took so long! It's been hard settling back into school, but really that's no excuse. I promise to try to post more** **consistently** **from now on. I know that this is a shorter chapter, but let me know what you think!))**


	8. Chapter 8

The whipping winds blowing Winnie's hair in her face, and the icy ran falling in her eyes and soaking through her jacket, made it difficult for her to move as quickly through the streets as her mind was telling her she needed to go. She had to find Credence, and she had to do it soon. She couldnt just apparate to him to avoid the terrible weather because she had no idea where he was.

She had already checked the subway station where she had first met him, thinking that maybe he would go somewhere familiar to take cover from the rain, but he hadn't been there. She considered finding a phone booth to call Tina to tell her what was happening and see if she could help, but she didn't want her to report it to MACUSA and send the other aurors looking for him; Winnie knew a crowd of unfamiliar people going after him would only frighten Credence more. Plus, she knew Tina would ask if Theo was helping, and her brother was the last person Winnie wanted to be involved.

A part of her feared that he had already called the other aurors, but she couldnt think about that right now, she had to focus on finding Credence.

There was the very real fear that he would go full obscural, but the fact that there weren't any signs of a disaster scene so far meant that it hadn't happened yet. So her main fear was him being lost and alone in the freezing weather with nowhere to go. As much as she didn't want to admit it, being an obscurial meant that Credence was already sick and, even worse, dying. It was a miracle he had made it this long, and she didn't want to tempt fate by letting him freeze.

The thought of losing him made Winnie sick to her stomach; it felt like the worst thing that could possibly happen. She didn't know when it had happened, but at some point since he had moved in with them, she had begun to really deeply care for him. He was her friend. Or, somehow, maybe something more than that. Maybe she was considering him a part of her family, and that was the reason she felt so strongly for him. That must have been it, since she didn't have another word to describe how she was feeling.

With everything going on in her mind, she had stopped paying close attention to where she was running, and had started wandering into the street. A car horn blared as it swerved to avoid hitting her, and she jumped out of the way onto the sidewalk. Her foot landed on an icy patch, causing her to slip. She fell onto her hands and knees, soaking her clothing even more, and the gravelly concrete cutting into her palms. She felt her jacket pocket for her wand, making sure it hadn't fallen out.

She went to stand up, but before she did, she saw a piece of paper sticking out of the snow, partially buried. She pulled it out, instinctively curious, and saw that it was an old flyer for the Second Salem church. After seeing them scattered everywhere for years, her first thought was to just toss it aside, but then she remembered Credence's connection to the society, and she was struck with an idea.

Winnie stood up, took out her wand, and disapparated off of the street, apparating in front of the old shack of a chapel that was once the base of the Second Salemer's, where Credence used to live. It was in shambles now, a giant hole blown out of the side that no one had bothered to fix, loose wooden planks hanging low as if guarding the entrance. It looked like it hadn't been touched since Credence had almost destroyed it, but she was still hopeful about what was inside.

She walked through the space where there had once been a door, ducking her head to avoid hitting it on the lowhanging wood.

"Credence?" she called once she was what could be considered inside of the building. She tried to look around, but it was dark, the only light coming in from the street lamps outside. As she walked, she bumped into broken and scattered tables and chairs, barely able to see anything of what was around her. She felt around with her hands to avoid walking into a wall.

Walking in further, she suddenly could hear the faint sound of quick, jagged breathing, like the sound of someone crying. She turned her head towards where the noise was coming from, and saw the faint glow of a lit candle coming from a room off of the balcony on the second floor.

"Credence!" she called again, and the crying stopped for a moment.

"Winnie?" Credence's weak voice called out. Winnie sighed in relief.

"I'm coming up there," she told him. "Don't move." She took her wand out again, whispering, "Lumos," and used the light that came from the tip of it to find her way to the stairs. They, like most of what she could see of the interior of the house, were in shambles. She had to step carefully to avoid walking on a broken step and falling through the floor. Luckily, she made it to the top without incident, and she rushed to the room where Credence's single candle was glowing.

When she finally saw him, huddled in a corner, looking up at her with wide, wet eyes, she was so overcome with relief that, without thinking about it, she ran across the room to embrace him. She knelt to crouch down next to him, holding onto him tightly.

"Thank Merlin you're okay," she whispered. She was so overwhelmed with emotion that she felt tears pricking her eyes and falling down her cheeks. She hated crying, and she did her best to never do it, but she just couldn't help it.

She pulled back to look at him. "Are you hurt?" she asked worriedly.

"W-why are you crying?" he asked shakily, instead of answering her question. She chuckled quietly as she wiped her tears away, and then reached over to wipe his.

"Because I was so worried about you," she answered. "And I'm so happy that I found you."

"How did you find me?" he asked.

"Just had a hunch," she said with a half smile. "Credence, why did you run off? And why did you come here, of all places?" He quickly looked down to avoid having to look her in the eyes.

"I-I heard you and Theo arguing about me," he said quietly. "And I couldn't stand being the reason that you weren't getting along, and the reason Theo is so mad." He took a deep, shaky breath. "I don't want to be a burden on any of you. So I came back to my old home, because it's the only place I know."

"Oh, Credence," Winnie whispered. "I'm so sorry that you heard us fight. It wasn't your fault, none of it is. Theo isn't mad, he's scared of anything that might put our family in danger. And he just doesn't know you well enough to know that you aren't dangerous."

"I never knew a family where people truly cared about each other's safety," he admitted after a moment of silence.

"You'll learn all about it," she assured him. "Because you are part of our family now."

"What about Theo?" he asked, knowing that it was obvious that her older brother didn't like him, or want him anywhere near his family.

"He'll come around," Winnie said surely. "It'll just take time for him to see what I already see in you: that you're a genuinely good person who would never willingly hurt a soul." Hearing that, Credence looked back up at her. In the flickering light of the candle, he saw her pale skin, her bright eyes, the soaking hair that was stuck to her face.

"You must be freezing," he commented quietly as he slowly reached over to push the hair off of her face. He couldn't believe she had gone through the frigid wind and rain, soaking herself to the bone, just to find him.

This time it was Winnie who looked down as she felt the coolness of his skin against her cheek. But despite her clothes that were soaked, and the wind that was blowing through the open exposed walls of the chapel, she felt an odd sense of warmth from sitting next to him.

She was suddenly overly aware of how close they were sitting, pressed up against one another comfortably. Credence was aware of it, too. But despite how much comfort he felt from the contact, he was afraid that she was uncomfortable, or that she would want to pull away.

"I-Is this okay?" he asked, referring to their shoulders pressing against each other, their faces only inches apart, their hands practically on top of one another's.

"Yes," Winnie replied with a soft smile. "It's okay."

And then, before the thought had even completely gone through her mind, she said, "I would like to kiss you, Credence."

He was surprised; no one had ever said something like that to him before, and he never imagined that it would ever happen. But still, he responded, "I want that, too."

Winnie hesitated for a moment, taking the second to look up at him, into his eyes that always seemed to be holding back a great fear. She leaned forward, closing the little space that was left between them, and pressed her lips against his lightly.

Somehow, where his lips were cold like the rest of his body, her's were warm. And that warmth spread through Credence's entire body, creating a feeling of happiness and contentment and safety that he had never experienced before.

They remained like that for a few long moments, both of them frozen in the fear and amazement of this new sensation and closeness, before Winnie slowly pulled away.

"W-Was that okay?" Credence asked nervously, afraid that he had done something wrong, something that would ruin whatever it was that was between them.

Winnie shook her head and smiled softly. "It was perfect," she assured him. She reached over and took his hand carefully, still looking into his eyes, and ran her thumb lightly over the healing scars on his palm.

He leaned his head against her shoulder, closing his eyes for a moment and savouring the contact. It was so different than what he was used to experiencing. It wasn't the harsh strikes from his mother hitting him, or the protective way Modesty would hold his hand, or the controlling way Mr. Graves would pull him closer, it was something entirely new. This was innocent and careful. It felt like taking in a gasp of clean air after holding his breath. Like they were two pieces of one whole object that were finally coming together to complete something. He had no idea what this meant for the two of them, or if they would even speak of it after they stood up, so he tried to take in as much of it as he could to store in his memory. The way her hand felt steady and sure holding his that was always shaking, the way the gentle rise and fall of her shoulders moved him as she breathed, the way she smelt like cinnamon and tea and the cold winter air.

Neither of the new how long they sat there, but eventually Winnie noticed Credence shivering. "We should go find somewhere warm," she said as she turned her head to look at him.

"I don't know," he said nervously. "I don't think I want to go back to the apartment, after all the things that Theo… I don't want to make him angry again."

"Theo would never do anything to you," she told him. "He's probably even worried about you right now. But I understand. We don't have to go back there tonight." After what had happened, she wasn't exactly in the mood to talk to her brother either, at least not that night.

She thought for a moment, trying to decide where they could go. "We could try going to Tina's apartment," she suggested. "See if we could stay there for the night, and then try to sort things out with Theo in the morning."

Credence hesitated, but nodded his head in agreement, deciding it was the best option they had.

Winnie picked her wand up off the ground as they both stood up. She squeezed his hand lightly in reassurance before disapparating out of the old house. Within seconds, they appeared in the stairwell of the building of the Goldstein's apartment.

They walked up the few remaining steps to their door. Winnie knocked on the door, hoping that it wasn't too late at night that both women would be asleep. But within a few moments, Queenie opened the door. She smiled brightly when she saw the two, but the smile dropped as she looked them over.

"You're both soaking!" she exclaimed worriedly. "What happened?" But before either of them could answer, she read the thoughts that went through their minds to figure it out for herself. An excited and knowing smile appeared on her face, and Winnie quickly realized what she had heard in their heads. How could she not? It was all either of them could think about.

"Please don't tell Tina," she begged, knowing that Tina would tell her brother, and that certainly was not a conversation she wanted to have with her older brother any time soon.

"I won't tell, cross my heart," Queenie promised, before letting out a small, excited squeal as she looked between the two of them. "You're just so adorable together."

Just as Winnie's cheeks were flushing red in embarrassment, Tina came from around the corner. "What's going on?" she asked, looking between her sister and the two standing outside the door. "What's going on? Is something wrong?"

"Well…" Winnie tried to explain. "There was a small situation, but everything is fine now. We're just wondering if there's any chance we could stay the night at your place?"

"Of course," Tina said without hesitation. "Does Theo know where you are?" Winnie paused for a few moments before answering.

"Not exactly…" she admitted.

"You know I'll have to call him, right?" Tina said with an apologetic half smile.

"I know," she said with a sigh. "Do you think I could be the one to talk to him?"

"I don't see why not," Tina said, stepping aside so they could both come in.

"I'll go get you both some dry clothes," Queenie said as they stepped into the apartment. "And now that Newt's found his own temporary apartment in the city, we have an extra bedroom with two beds that you can stay in."

"Thank you," Winnie said. "We really appreciate it."

Queenie whisked Credence away to the room to change, while Tina led Winnie to the kitchen where the phone was. She picked it up, dialing Theo and Winnie's house phone, and waited for it to ring. As soon as Theo picked it up, Winnie could hear him frantically yelling, though she couldn't make out what he was saying.

"Wait, just calm-" Tina tried interrupting him, though he didn't seem to slow down. "Theo, they're both with me. They're both safe." This stopped the yelling, and Theo's voice calmed down at least a bit. "No, I haven't called anyone else," Tina answered whatever question he had asked. "This can stay between us." She was quiet for another few seconds, listening to Theo, before speaking again. "She wants to talk to you."

Tina handed the phone to Winnie, who took a deep breath before putting it to her ear. "Hi, Theo," she said nervously.

"Winnie," Theo said with a huge sigh of relief, like he hadn't quite believed that she was really there safe. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"

"I know," she said, regretting it slightly now that she could hear how upset he was. "But I had to go after Credence."

"I know that," he said with another sigh, this time one of understanding. "Is he okay?"

"Yes," she answered, surprised that he cared at all.

"Look, Win, I'm worry for getting so upset earlier," he said. "I didn't mean everything I said. I don't blame you for putting anyone in danger, and I don't really mind Credence all that much. I'm just...afraid of all the things we don't know about his condition."

"I understand," Winnie said. "But I promise that it is with my best judgment that I trust him, and that I trust we're going to find a way to cure him."

"I believe you," Theo responded, which surprised her again. "If anyone could figure out how to do it, it would be you."

"Thank you, Theo," she said with a small smile.

"I love you, Win."

"I love you, too, Theo. We'll be back in the morning." And with that, she handed the phone back to Tina, who hung it up.

A few minutes later, Winnie and Credence were both laying in beds across from each other, wearing dry pajamas, looking at each other across the gap between them.

"I'm sorry for running off and causing so much trouble," Credence whispered.

"It wasn't your fault," Winnie assured him, yawning. "I probably would have done the same thing." A few long minutes of silence passed between them before Credence spoke again.

"Thank you for finding me," he said. "Both times." He needed her to know how grateful he was that she had brought him into her life and kept him from whatever terrible fate that would have transpired if she hadn't bothered to go after him that first night.

"I'll always find you," she said softly, her eyes fluttering shut, so exhausted from the day. Hearing that, Credence was able to completely relax. Before long, they were both fast asleep.

 **((I'm glad that I could get this chapter out much quicker than the last one, and this one is much longer! So...you can see that some things are happening... Let me know what you think!))**


	9. Chapter 9

It was early in the morning when Credence was woken up by worrying noises coming from outside the room he and Winnie had shared for the night. There were hushed but frantic voices talking all at once, and quick footsteps pacing around the apartment. He immediately felt frozen in fear; he was hypersensitive to any major shift in mood after spending so long living with his mother, where a change in mood could mean he was at risk for a beating or other punishments.

He tried to listen to the voices for a few moments, hoping he could make out what they were saying, but everyone was too quiet for him to hear. But he could tell there was at least one, maybe more, person out there that wasn't Queenie or Tina, which frightened him more. Who else would be in the apartment so early in the morning? Was it someone bringing bad news? Or, worse, someone who was dangerous?

Credence sat up in the bed, pulling his knees to his chest, his first instinct in the threat of any kind of danger to retreat into himself. He looked over at the bed next to his, where Winnie was still sleeping. In any other situation he would have let her keep sleeping, but he was afraid that they would have to get out of there quickly if there really was any danger, and he didn't want her to be vulnerable.

"Winnie," he whispered, not wanting anyone outside of the room to hear him. She stirred slightly, but her eyes stayed shut, still asleep.

"Winnie, you have to wake up, please," he tried again, his voice growing more desperate, afraid that someone else was going to hear him.

This time, luckily, her eyes opened. She immediately saw his frightened expression and the position of his body, which she recognized as him trying to hide himself.

"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly, thinking that something must have happened to him while she was sleeping.

"Listen," he whispered, looking at the closed door to the room, wanting her to hear what was going on out there. After a moment, she too heart the sound of people talking in hushed, upset tones, and the extra voices that didn't belong to the two sisters who lived there.

Where, in the face of potential danger, Credence tried to make himself smaller and less noticeable, Winnie stood up, ready to face whatever it was. "I'm going to find out what's happening," she told him as she grabbed her wand from the nightstand and made her way towards the door. Credence marvelled at her lack of fear, and wondered if there was something wrong with him that he couldn't be so instinctively brave like her.

"I'll be right back," she whispered, looking back at him for a moment before stepping out of the room, closing the door behind her in case there was someone out there that shouldn't know Credence was there.

As she walked into the living area, she saw Tina first. She was pacing around the floor, a worried expression on her face. Queenie was leaned against the wall across from where Winnie stood, wearing an equally frightened expression. As they both looked up to see her, Winnie took another step into the room. She saw both her older brother and Newt standing near the couch, neither of them sitting. At least that was a relief; the extra voices weren't from some stranger.

"Theo, what's going on?" she asked, looking between all the adults who were clearly concerned about something. She wanted to know what was happening, and she wanted to know immediately.

Instead of answering her question, Theo rushed across the room to wrap his arms around his sister, hugging her tightly. She didn't know if it was because what had happened the night before, or if it was something else entirely that was upsetting him, but something was definitely wrong.

As he pulled back, she looked up at him and again asked, "What's wrong?" He looked back at Tina, like he was looking for the right way to answer her.

"Grindlewald escaped from where he was being detained," he told her grimly. Winnie suddenly realized why everyone was so worried; Gellert Grindlewald had been tormenting the wizarding and no-maj communities for years. He was responsible for the deaths of so many innocent people. His capture on the night she had found Credence had been a much needed miracle, and now they would have to go back to living in fear.

"How did it happen?" she asked, unsure of how one man could get past all of MACUSA's resources.

"There must have been someone working for him from inside MACUSA," Tina answered, looking at the ground as if she somehow blamed herself.

Just then, Credence stepped into the room, practically shaking with fear. He had decided he couldn't let Winnie go face whatever he was afraid of by herself, so he had followed a minute behind her. He had stopped to listen when he more clearly heard who was talking. But as he listened he learned about the graveness of the situation at hand.

"Grindlewald," he said quietly. Everyone turned towards him, not realizing he had been standing there until he spoke. "I-Is that who...was he…" he stumbled over his words, trying to battle his frantic mind and ask the question that was terrifying him. "Mr. Graves?" That's how he had known him, afterall. It wasn't until he had started staying with the Shae's, seeing the stories in their newspapers and hearing Winnie and Theo talking about it late at night, that he realized who he had really been interacting with.

Tina nodded in response to his question, and he felt a blackness cloud his vision. He leaned against the wall to stabilize himself, feeling like he was going to pass out from fear. Winnie rushed over to him, holding him upright. "Credence, what's wrong?" she asked quickly. She knew from Theo that Grindlewald had been disguising himself as Percival Graves, an auror and head of MACUSA's Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and that he had been there in the subway station the night she found Credence, but she didn't know how Credence knew him, or why hearing his name had such a strong effect on him.

"He...I….I knew him," he tried explaining, finding it difficult to talk while he was still in such a shock, but wanting Winnie to know what happened. "He came to me months ago, wanting me to help find the Obscurial. H-He didn't know it was me…." He paused, taking a deep breath before continuing, now aware that everyone in the room was listening to him. "He promised that he would teach me magic if I helped him, but then he told me I couldn't be taught. And then when he found out what I was…." he trailed off, knowing she knew about what had happened after, since she was the one who found him in the station as Newt and 'Graves' fought. Fought over _him_.

"I-Is he going to come back for me?" he asked, his voice practically shaking now as he asked the one question that terrified him most. Winnie, not knowing the answer, turned around to look at the others, wanting one of them to have the answers he was looking for.

"It's a possibility," Tina said, looking at Credence sadly, knowing that it would scare him but not wanting to lie to him about something that affected him so closely. "He most likely still wants the power of an Obscurus, and since Credence is the most powerful Obscurial on record…" Winnie was suddenly just as nervous as Credence. She instinctively held Credence tighter, protectively.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, no trace of her fear in her voice; her words were all determination and fierceness. She wasn't going to let Grindlewald get to Credence, so they needed a plan.

"We'll keep him hidden until Grindlewald is caught again," Tina answered calmly, trying to reassure both Credence and Winnie.

"He has no way of knowing that Credence is staying with us," Theo pointed out. "So he would be the safest if he stayed. A random apartment in the middle of the city is less conspicuous than keeping him at the MACUSA headquarters, or anywhere else official." Winnie gave her brother an appreciative look, thankful that he was not only letting, but encouraging Credence to stay with them

"I agree," Tina said with a small nod. "For now, it's the safest place for him. Grindlewald would expect us to keep him somewhere official, or send him somewhere far off. He won't anticipate him being placed with a low ranking auror's family."

Credence was glad that a plan was made so quickly, and that it meant he wouldn't have to leave Winnie; no matter the circumstances, he felt safest with her. But still, the thought that he was putting her and her family in danger now by staying with them was present in the back of his mind. If things got worse and the danger to them became more immediate, he knew he would have to make the decision to leave. But for now, he could accept the fact that he still knew too little about this world to go against the plans they made.

"We'll have two auror's patrolling your building at all times," Tina continued. "Just to be safe."

"That's probably for the best," Theo agreed, back in full auror mode; especially where his family was concerned-and, whether he liked it or not, what concerned Credence now concerned his family-he was ready to do everything he could to protect them. "You and Credence go get your things," he said, turning to Winnie. "Then we'll go home."

Winnie nodded, for once not wanting to argue with her brother. She knew that it was better to do what he said for now, because it was the easiest way to keep Credence safe.

She and Credence walked back down the hall to the room where they had slept. They picked up their clothes from the night before that Queenie had dried for them.

"We're going to keep you safe," Winnie said softly, looking up at Credence. She couldn't imagine how afraid he was; just when it seemed like he was finally out of trouble, the biggest threat of all was out there again. He looked up at her as well, seeing the sincerity on her face; her words were a promise, he knew that by now. But still, he couldnt ignore the danger that was looming over both of them. He wanted them to be away from all this, somewhere safe. He wanted to hold her or kiss her, he couldn't tell which. But this wasn't the time.

Before he could say anything in response, there was a light knock on the door. They both looked over to see Newt standing in the doorway, alternating between looking up at them and down at the floor, the way he always did.

"I'm, um, sorry to interrupt," he said, though he wasn't interrupting anything. "I just wanted to let you know that, if you're still interested, I'd be happy to stop by with my case sometime if you still wanted to observe my creatures. It seems that you'll be stuck your home for some time now, so if you needed a distraction I can come by." Winnie remembered the conversation they had the last time they were all in this apartment, where she had expressed her interest in the healing properties of the byproducts of magical creatures. She was surprised he remembered, nevermind confirming that his offer for her to visit in his case still stood.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Scamander," Winnie said, truly appreciative. It was nice to have something to look forward to in the midst of all this chaos.

Newt nodded, leaving them with his slightly awkward half smile that he gave. Credence and Winnie finished collecting their things at the same time Theo entered the room.

"Ready?" he asked them, to which they nodded in response. Winnie waited for a short moment after Theo disapparated before taking Credence's hand carefully, looking up at him quickly, and waving her wand, sending them out of the room.


	10. Chapter 10

It had been four days since the news about Grindlewald's escape had surfaced, which meant it had been four days that Credence and Winnie were trapped in the apartment. Technically, it was only Credence who was trapped, since it wasn't safe for him to be seen on the streets in case Grindlewald or one of his followers saw him. But Winnie had vowed to stay with him the whole time, not wanting to risk something happening while she was gone.

But despite her promise and her dedication to keeping it, Credence could see how restless she was becoming. She was not meant to be trapped inside; she wanted to be out in the fresh air among the people in the streets. She wanted to run and explore. Over the past few days he had observed how the light seemed to drain out of her, like being inside for so long was stifling her. She was something like a caged bird, he thought. Hopping around her inclosure anxiously, not able to thrive, just waiting to be freed.

Winnie had spent most of the first day or so inside reading up on defensive magic. She hadn't really spent much time studying it since she left school, and she feared that, with everything that was going on, she would need it. But after that initial burst of motivation, she had become restless, her energy building up, mixing with her anxious thoughts about what might be coming.

She had spent the next few days flitting around the house, never seeming to stand still. She took care of Laurie, keeping him entertained and cared for when Theo was at work, which seemed to be more and more now. She cleaned things that were already clean, cooked meals days in advance, anything she could do to keep her mind and body occupied. Credence had asked a few times if he could do anything to help, but she would always tell him that she was fine doing it on her own.

The only thing she would task him with was entertaining Laurie for bits of time when she couldn't calm her nerves down enough to sit with the child. Credence didn't mind it. In fact, being with Laurie took his mind off of things. The little boy didn't know that anything was wrong; of course his older siblings hadn't told him about the danger they were facing, so he was as happy and carefree as always.

But something had changed that morning when Credence woke up. Instead of seeing Winnie moving about the house completing chores that she made up for herself, like he had become used to seeing first thing in the morning, the apartment was still and silent. Instead, Winne was sitting perched on the large windowsill overlooking the street below. She had a blanket draped around her shoulders, London the cat laying on her lap, and an absent look on her face as she stared out the window. Credence didn't disturb her, thinking she was just tired and needed some quiet time to rest. But minutes of her sitting there turned to hours, and the morning turned to late afternoon without Winnie moving from her spot. Even London had gotten bored of the stillness and got up to wander around the apartment before finding a bug to chase around.

Eventually, Credence realized that this was Winnie finally defeated by being trapped. After spending days trying to busy herself with meaningless tasks to distract herself from her need to be out of doors, her mind had finally succumb to the reality of their situation, and had closed her off.

Around three in the afternoon, when Laurie had fallen asleep on the couch-Credence didn't quite know his nap schedule, so he didn't know when to put him to bed before sleep took him-he approached Winnie cautiously.

"A-Are you feeling alright?" he asked, almost nervously, as he joined her by the window. She responded only with a nod, still looking out the window, instead of at him.

"You shouldn't be trapped inside just because I am," he said. "You should go out for a while. Stretch your legs, take your mind off of things…" She finally looked up at him, her expression a mix of exhaustion and concern.

"I'm not going to leave you alone," she said simply, speaking for the first time all day. He knew that she was only sticking to her word, but Credence feared that she was going to begin to resent him for keeping her stuck in the house out of guilt. Winnie saw this worry on his face, but she guessed wrong about its cause.

"Everything is going to be okay," she assured him, thinking that he was worried about Grindlewald. She leaned forward slightly, placing a light kiss on his forehead.

It was the first time she had kissed him since the night at the church, and he relished in the feeling, not sure when it was going to happen again. He still didn't know what it had meant for them, but this was clearly not the time to try figuring that out; there were much more important things to worry about.

"I'm not worried for myself," he told her. "I'm worried for you." Winnie tilted her head slightly in confusion, not sure what he meant. "I can tell that you aren't happy stuck inside. You need to be free to go where you want in order to be happy."

"Credence, I'm not worried about being happy," she said with a sigh. "I'm worried about keeping you safe."

"My safety isn't worth you losing your sanity," he tried to reason.

"I'm not losing any of my sanity," she tried to assure him. But, in reality, she knew that the way she had been acting wasn't exactly normal, at least not for her.

"I'm sorry if I've been worrying you," she said. "I promise, I would much rather be inside with you than outside and free, but alone. It's just taking me some time to adjust to the change."

Looking at her now, Credence could see the bravery that he had seen in her since the first time they met. But, this time it was different. This bravery wasn't walking towards potential danger without hesitation, or readying herself to fight against unbelievable odds. This bravery was putting aside her own wants in order to protect what was important to her. It was going against her instincts to search out the threat that loomed over them, instead staying hidden and quiet because that's what was best for others. And, to him, this was the most impressive act of hers that he had witnessed. This was the ultimate display of bravery. This is what he admired so deeply in her.

And, in that moment, he decided to be brave himself.

Without his usual hesitation, he leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers. She was surprised; she hadn't expected him to be comfortable initiating this sort of contact. But there they were, captured in a kiss that was so much different than their first one. The first had been sweet and cautious, all unspoken feelings and secret wants that had been pushed aside. This was different. This was them combating all the desperation and fear and threats that were stacked against them with their need for one another.

It was still clumsy; after all, neither of them had any kind of experience in this sort of thing. And for Credence, there was still his mother's voice in the back of his mind telling him that this was wrong. That feeling this way for Winnie, this want for her, was sinful, and that judgment and punishment were waiting for him. But, the thing was, despite these lessons that were ingrained in him his whole life, none of it felt true anymore. How could something that felt so pure and good be bad? How could the way he felt for Winnie be anything other than perfect design? His mother had been wrong about so many things, this had to be one of them.

What felt like too soon, they pulled their faces apart. They were still holding onto each other-Winnie's hands grasping onto Credence's sleeves, and Credence's hands resting carefully on her waist. For a moment, they just looked at each other, neither of them really knowing what was supposed to come next.

"We're going to be okay, aren't we?" Credence asked, his voice barely above a whisper. It was a loaded question, one filled with so many variables and risks. They had no way of knowing what in their future was going to be 'okay'. But still, despite all the uncertainties, Winnie nodded.

"We have to be," she answered. She would make sure of it.

 **((I know this chapter was really short, but the scene popped into my head and I wanted to get it posted quickly. My posting schedule hasn't been as regular as I'd hoped because this semester has been really rough, but I'm trying to make more time for writing. In other news, I can't believe its already chapter ten of this story! I'm not sure, but I'd guess that its about halfway finished, but who knows. Thank you to everyone who has been reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. It really means so much to me seeing that some people are enjoying it. So if you could please try to leave a review for this chapter letting me know what you think, I'd really appreciate it!))**


	11. Chapter 11

There had been another attack in New York City.

Credence, Winnie, and Theo sat around the coffee table in the living room in the late evening, two days after the kiss. Laurie had been in bed for hours, and typically Theo would have gone to bed already to get enough rest for his next day of work. He was working every day now; whether it was by necessity or choice Winnie wasn't sure. But he had come home at the normal hour, and instead of going to bed, he had stayed shut in his room for a little while before calling Winnie and Credence into the living room.

The three of them sat in the living room, all looking at the newspaper that was laying open on the coffee table. There was a moving picture of a no-maj school with a large hole blown out of the side, surrounded by an article about the incident. There had been five deaths, including two no-maj children. There was a full investigation being launched, despite the magical intervention that MACUSA had employed.

The attack was either directly carried out by Grindlewald, or by some of his fanatics. The article speculated that it was one of his followers, thinking that Grindlewald wouldn't expose his location so soon after escape. But Winnie believed that it was him, that he wanted them to know he was close by and there was nothing they could do about it.

"What does this mean for us?" Winnie asked Theo, looking up at her brother.

"He's toying with us," Theo answered, clearly frustrated. "He's trying to humiliate MACUSA by staying so close and still undetected." He ran his fingers through his hair anxiously. "This might even lead to him gaining more followers; enough people were questioning our ability to handle dangerous situations as it was." He shook his head, taking a deep breath before continuing. "But for our family, and for Credence, it means that we have to be more on guard. Grindlewald is close, and he'll do anything to find Credence to harness his power." Winnie hated that he was right.

"We'll keep being careful," she said, glancing to Credence, making sure to include him in all of this. "We won't leave the house at all. Not until Grindlewald's caught again."

Theo nodded slowly, knowing there was nothing else they could do. "I'm going to go check on Laurie," he said, excusing himself as he stood up and went to the room the brothers shared. Because of his long hours that went from early in the morning until late into the night, Theo hadn't seen his little brother in days. He hated it, but he knew that all the aurors were making sacrifices right now.

When Theo was gone, Winnie turned to Credence worriedly. When he looked at her, he could see that she was visibly upset. Before he could ask what was wrong, she spoke.

"I'm so sorry, Credence," she said, her voice quieter than it usually was when she spoke to him, less confident.

"Why would you be sorry?" Credence asked, confused.

She took a shaky breath before continuing. "I promised you that I would find a way to cure you of the Obscurus, but I still haven't figured out how to do it." It was what she had promised she would do the night she found him, the reason he had agreed to go with her in the first place. "I was so sure of myself, but I had no idea how difficult dealing with an Obscurus was going to be." Going into it all, she had thought it would be like curing any other magical disease; she would be able to find a spell or a potion, and then all the problems would go away. But this wasn't anything like what she had dealt with before. Despite all of her research, she was no closer to finding a cure for him than before. And now, Grindlewald was after him because of it. "I'm sorry for bringing you into all of this when I haven't been able to help like I promised."

"Winnie, stop," Credence said, shaking his head as she spoke. "You...you've done so much for me. We don't even know if there is a cure for it, but you've made me feel like I can handle it." She tilted her head in confusion, not sure what he meant. "Every day since you found me, I've felt less out of control. It used to be that I always felt it just under the surface, always moments away from exploding out of me. I had to fight it off at all times. B-But since I've been with you, it feels like it's pushed further away. Like I don't have to fight for control all the time."

Winnie was silent for a moment, turning over all the things he said in her mind.

"What are you thinking?" he asked quietly when she didnt speak for a few long moments.

"I'm just wondering…" she began. "What if it isn't a spell or potion that's going to heal you? What if I've been looking for the wrong thing?" He wasn't sure what she was getting at, but he listened eagerly. "Maybe, since it was psychological torment that attracted the Obscural, the cure is psychological too. Maybe you need to heal your mind from all the hurt you've been through before your body will heal as well. That's why the longer you've been away from that abusive home, and the longer you've been with people that care about you, the better you're feeling."

Credence nodded; what she was saying did make sense. Winnie visibly lightened up. "With this new theory, we might be on better track than before." Credence was happy that she was happy with this. He even allowed himself to be a bit hopeful that she was right. Getting rid of the Obscurus inside him seemed like a dream that would never come true. But, maybe it was possible after all.

He let Winnie work, sitting silently next to her and watching while she surrounded herself in books and notes, burying herself in papers, her hand writing a mile a minute. It wasn't long before he dozed off, his head leaning against the back of the couch, the constant sound of scratches on paper and pages turning lulling him to sleep.

… … … … … …

A while later-though Winnie had no idea how much time had actually passed-Theo came out of his room. Winnie was surprised; she had thought that he had gone to sleep a while before. She was in a much better mood after making progress on what she thought might be the start of how she could help Credence. But she quickly noticed the grave look on Theo's face, and knew something was up.

"What's wrong?" she asked, putting her pencil down and looking up at him. He didn't answer at first, instead glancing over at Credence. "He's been asleep for a while now," Winnie told him. Theo nodded and sat down in the chair across from the couch, resting his elbows on his knees and putting his head in his hands.

"Theo, what's wrong?" Winnie asked again, getting more worried the longer he went without answering her, making sure to stay quiet so not to wake Credence.

"Things are getting dangerous," Theo said, finally looking up at her. His voice was low and tired, showing more of his exhaustion than he had dared to show her in weeks. "We have no leads on finding Grindlewald, besides knowing he's close based on the last attack. We're almost certain that he's back for Credence, or he wouldn't risk being so close to where he was last caught."

"I already know all this," she said. "But I'm not afraid. We're going to protect Credence and catch Grindlewald before he can hurt anyone else." Theo nodded absently, but he didn't seem to believe what she was saying.

"I'm afraid that there's going to be a fight," he said, even more quietly than before. "Especially if Grindlewald finds Credence here."

"I'm not afraid of him," Winnie repeated, a determined look on her face. "I can handle myself in a duel." Theo couldn't help smiling tiredly at her strength.

"I knew that's what you were going to say," he said. Still, he knew that his little sister would be no match for Grindlewald one-on-one, and he was pretty sure that she knew it too. "But I've been thinking about this a lot...and I can't put my family in danger. I want to send you and Laurie to stay with mom and dad in England until this is all over."

"No way," Winnie said immediately, not giving him a chance to finish his thought. "I'm not leaving Credence."

"I know," Theo said with a nod, having already thought about what her reaction was going to be. "Which is why I wasn't going to suggest that you leave, no matter how much I want you to. But...I still want Laurie to leave, for his own safety."

"Why?" Winnie asked. "I can take care of him, I know I can."

"Win, it's impossible for you to take care of yourself, and Credence, and Laurie, especially if it comes down to a fight. Since Laurie has no way of defending himself, the only way to keep him safe is to send him far away."

Winnie was shaking her head the whole time he spoke, still not wanting it to happen. She loved her little brother and didn't want to be separated from him. She didn't want their family to be broken up even more than it already was. She didn't want to sacrifice anything because of Grindlewald. And she feared that, if Laurie went to stay with their parents, they would change their minds about him living in America to attend Ilvermorny, and they wouldn't send him back even when it was safe.

"I've already arranged for him to be taken to mom and dad by Floo Network tomorrow evening," Theo said, looking down, not able to face Winnie as he said it, knowing how much it would hurt her. "So you have all day tomorrow to say your temporary goodbyes. And it will be temporary, Winnie. I promise." Winnie didn't respond, too upset with it all. She didnt blame Theo, he was only doing what was best for Laurie, but it was easier to be upset with him than their entire situation all at once.

Realizing that she didn't want to talk to him, Theo stood up, kissing the top of Winnie's head lightly before going off to his room.

Winnie curled up into a ball on the couch, crying into her knees. Why did everything have to fall apart just when she thought it was starting to come together?


End file.
